Would You Hire a Builder Who’s Never Held a Hammer? Why Managers Must Understand Their Field

Continuing from my previous article on whether a manager needs to understand their field, I want to revisit this topic with a simple and relatable example: home renovation.

Not long ago, I renovated my apartment. And, of course, it followed the classic “worst-case renovation scenario” — missed deadlines, unexpected expenses, contractor scams, and even leaking pipes after the job was supposedly finished. It was a nightmare.

But in hindsight, I realized — isn’t this exactly how bad management works?

The Cost of Not Knowing

I could have avoided a lot of unnecessary costs if I had even a basic understanding of home renovations. I don’t mean I should have learned to install doors or build a kitchen myself. But if I had simply watched a few YouTube videos and read about the correct order of work, I would have recognized much earlier that my carpenter was completely incompetent. Instead, I wasted money, hoping he was a professional and knew better than me.

This is exactly what happens in management.

“If you delegate blindly, you risk disaster. A great leader doesn’t micromanage — but they know enough to call out mistakes.” — The Lean Startup by Eric Ries…